Step 1: "Spur Gear" Rubber Band Guns

If you have a rubber band gun with a "spur gear" in the back (the most common kind of modern rubber band gun), then you're in luck: I have a modification!MODIFICATION:If you want to modify a rubber band gun with a spur gear, use whatever is sturdy and on hand! I chose to make mine out of cheap but thick particle board(?), as it is the easiest for me to work with, and yet pretty sturdy (if worked with just the right way). First things first: decide what kind of weapon you want. There are a few basic/general types:-Pistol-Shotgun-Machine Gun/Submachine Gun-Rifle/Sniper RifleI'll start with the Pistol: If you have something that ISN'T a pistol, just shorten it a lot!!! It's as easy as pie. Shorten the "barrel", and make a notch at the end. Add whatever is needed if you have a pistol (lengthen it).If you want a Shotgun, then take out a few pieces of wood. Make a wide "barrel". If you want, make a "barrel" tip like mine, as it allows for more rubber bands than any store-bought rubber band gun ever will with a single "barrel"!Machine Guns and Submachine Guns are pretty easy, as there plenty of designs. Mine is based somewhere between the Uzi and the MP-7 and the machine guns that were used in The Incredibles, by Syndrome's guards. Those things were pretty good. I have yet to make a scope, though...Rifles are the second-easiest, besides pistols, as you just lengthen the "barrel". Really easy. FOR ALL OF THE GUNS:Make a notch of some sort at the end of the "barrel".ANOTHER MOD FOR ANY GUN:But, then again, you might just want to make it look cooler. If you want that, either add a "silencer" or start looking for features of guns you think look cool. A "silencer" is just a piece of PVC pipe that fits loosely (or very loosely) over the "barrel". Sadly, the name is misleading, as the gun makes even more noise than before. Beware, the "silencer" may affect your rubber band gun in unexpected and unwanted ways, such as spreading the rubber bands and throwing off accuracy slightly. If you do this mod, then never fear: you can always take it off! It is held to the gun by the tension of the rubber bands. This can let you do crazy things, like firing 3 shots with the "silencer" on, taking off the silencer, and revealing 3 shots not using the "silencer". SPECIAL NOTE ABOUT ANY GUN:If you have the small bar as seen on my Compact Rifle-1or pistol (stock), DO NOT remove it, as it keeps the rubber bands from jamming the gun, and out of the firing mechanism. If you don't have one, never fear! Just bolt, nail, screw, glue, or...fuse?...any prism with a flat surface on one side (or not, if you're not gluing or fusing it on). The prism should be anywhere between 1 inch and 2 inches in front of the trigger mechanism, but keep in mind that prisms with rounded tops keep the stress off of rubber band guns. Besides, I like them better.

In a general sense, more tension on the rubber band = higher accuracy, however you have to make sure that the band(s) you fire are stretched correctly (or it will fly to the left or to the right), and that it's being pointed at your target correctly (using your entire arm to point at your target usually helps, as does using your off-hand to steady your shooting hand).

Also, I found a guide to shooting rubber bands, possibly even the one that was "dead". http://www.timothymorgan.info/static/bands/index.html

It depends on the way you fire the rubber bands, but typically 10 to 30 feet. Most of my rubber bands are from Staples, but the HUGE ones that are typically included with a rubber band gun can't be found at any regular office supply store. You have to look REALLY hard for those, and the closest one to me is what feels like an hour's drive (Argh!).

Thanks for publishing. This tutorial looks good, but needs pictures to really shine on the site. What tends to happen is that Instructables without pictures get lost in the crowd and don't see many hits. I've unpublished your project for now but it would be great if you could add in some images and then resubmit your Instructable.